Mount Adamantino

The misstep nearly threw Lightfeather off balance, the slip of his foot stirring not only the rocky earth that managed to hold his posture but also awakening the movement of some small stones that set off down the slope in a journey that would require them considerable time before coming to rest again. Immediately he looked over his shoulders to see if that accident had disrupted Winston's concentration, who gazed at him with a look of disapproval.

— Focus Lightfeather, we're almost there! My body is already too old for this and I swore I would never climb Adamantine Mountain again, but this is the last lesson you lack and here I am. Said Winston in a tone of encouragement and criticism as he used his staff to advance past the next obstacle.

Adamantine Mountain stood in the Andes range, it was the tallest mountain outside of Asia but it was never a place known to many, the beginning of its trail lay in a special place but Winston remembered exactly how to get there and so he placed Lightfeather in the car where they traveled thousands of kilometers to Argentina with the goal of teaching the last lesson of autonomy that his protégé needed to follow his path without him.

A few minutes later, when the sun had already set and the moon hung suspended on that magical starry horizon that could not be seen from anywhere else in the world, both took their final vertical step and found themselves at the top of that extremely privileged geolocation. They sat on boulders facing each other, shared the last bottle of water and caught their breath.

With his fist clenched, Winston points his index finger at the moon and directs the first question to his pupil.

— Do you see my hand and finger? Where are they pointing? Said Winston in a serious tone, since he had begun the last lesson he would give to Lightfeather

— At the most intense and greatest moon I've ever had the pleasure of seeing in my entire life. Lightfeather answered with the contentment of someone who felt properly rewarded for the effort he dedicated to getting there.

— What does it represent for you? Winston continued questioning.

Excited by that question, Lightfeather didn't hesitate before beginning to answer with every sensation he could translate. — The brightness of a celestial planet! The magnitude of a thousand stadiums! The capacity to dream! The beauty of nature! The idea of looking at the skies and imagining the most resplendent of futures! How good it is to be alive Winston!

— I agree with you, but the answer lies elsewhere. What time is it now?

Confused, Lightfeather looked at the illuminated watch on his wrist and answered — Fifteen minutes until eleven at night.

— The moon is many light-years away, can you tell what time it is there? How can it represent the future for you if in fact it's in the past? Exactly 1.3 seconds every time we look.

— I have no idea Winston, how could I know?

— Now turn your gaze to the tip of my finger Lightfeather, what does it represent for you?

— A direction, an idea!

— That is the lesson. Never confuse the finger with the moon, one is before you and the other can never be touched by you, only glimpsed! Understand the value of presence and be present. There is nothing wrong with dreaming Lightfeather but while you look at the skies, the world transforms, what can be more beautiful? The view or the ground of this unbreakable mountain beneath your feet that enabled this experience for us? Look around you, breathe this fresh air with your lungs!

— I'm not sure I understand.

— Don't cling to the past but always keep looking forward Lightfeather, don't become attached to the ideals of the future but always keep dreaming of what you feel is right. While you look at your phone screen, the wind will caress your face. While you compete for the attention of others, you stop being present for those who matter. When you miss the opportunity to do something new you stop rotating with the planet by clinging to an idea of yourself that inhabits the past of your mind or the future of your dreams.

— The secret is in the present Winston?

— No son, the secret is in your heart because it beats to the rhythm of your clock. It won't always know how to discern right from wrong but let it guide your path and always be experimental and kind, for all people are lovable. Learn to recognize your mistakes so you can learn from them. Always question your intention and always question people, because when they are wrong, they tend to project the origin of guilt and evil onto others instead of facing the mirror's reflection.

— I think I understood Winston, thank you for that. Thank you for everything!

— Now go your way my son, I need to make the most of my last moment up here.